Birthday Presents
by sumthin.clever.5
Summary: What do you get for the boy that has everything? Post DH, not epilogue compliant. Minor slash warning. One shot. No copyright infringement intended.


**A/N: **It's my third (and first complete) fanfic! Imagine that. Fun fact- this fic was inspired solely and completely by the picture that accompanies it. It so was adorable, it had to have a story based off of it, even if I didn't use its dialogue. Hope you all enjoy and thanks for reading/reviewing/favoriting/following!

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Birthday Presents

It was June 4th, and Harry still didn't know what to get Draco for his birthday tomorrow. Really, what do you get for someone that has everything? Harry had been searching for weeks but he had found nothing that would do. He'd seen several almost satisfactory items but nothing that stood out and said "Draco" to him. And it wasn't as if the git had hinted at anything he might want. But then, why would he? Anything Draco decided he wanted, he bought then and there. Which brought Harry back to square one.

Harry and Draco had been together for almost a year. They'd reconnected at a mutual friend's party they had both attended. With the war five years behind them and age matured enough to squash school yard feuds and war time misunderstandings, they'd met on civil terms. A one night conversation turned into meeting for tea turned into late night dinner dates turned into spending the night at each other's homes. When occasional sleepovers turned into practically living together, they just took the practically out and made it official.

They'd moved into a condo Draco owned since his parents still had the Manor. Harry had been surprised at the condo. Though still with noticeable traces of the luxuries Draco had grown up with and enjoyed, it was nowhere near on scale with the extravagance of the Manor. This suited Harry nicely. Though he'd grown up with little fashion or culture know-how (something Draco found great pleasure in reminding him of), Harry had learned to like and appreciate the traces of art found throughout the house, but he knew he could not handle the opulence of Draco's ancestral home.

They'd been here four months now. Where at first Draco's neatness had kept the house immaculate, Harry's presence had left permanent impressions on it with his messy tendencies and colorful habits. His dirty clothes often littered their bathroom where he took his showers. The pure crystal china Draco favored was now accompanied by plastic rainbow colored bowls, plates, and cups in the cabinets. The copy of Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night" was on the wall next to a framed finger painting Teddy had made for Harry when the boy was three. These were the little things that made it home for Harry. Well, these and Draco's presence. And Draco allowed all these little quirks because he loved Harry and these things reminded the blond of him, or so he said. Harry smirked. That confession was always preceded by a long list of complaints from Draco. Harry thought Draco needed to complain constantly to remain sane. What else would he do with his time? His job was clearly not enough to occupy him.

Harry found himself walking down the street of an outdoor Wizarding mall. It was like Diagon Alley, but more extensive. Harry and Draco liked coming here and Harry had looked for a gift here before, but maybe some new stock would be in that'd catch his eye. He wandered through the shops seeing nothing new or nothing tempting and again bypassed all the things he'd rejected before. Though he wouldn't mind that glasses cleaning and upkeep kit he'd just passed. He often found himself having to do minor repairs on his glasses from when Draco got a little overenthusiastic with his kisses. He'd sometimes bend them from mashing them into Harry's face or, as was more often the case, he'd remove them and give not a care as to where they ended up as his access to Harry's face was newly unhindered.

Harry was tempted…but no. Not this trip. He'd feel guilty if he ended up buying something for himself and not finding Draco his birthday gift. And that was bad. He really was running out of time. It was already 5:30 and the shops would close in another hour and a half. He couldn't get back out tomorrow because he'd set aside the whole day for Draco. They'd both taken off from work, as they would on Harry's birthday and their anniversary next month. Harry sighed. That was a whole other issue. Their anniversary was July 3rd, exactly halfway between Harry's and Draco's birthdays. When Harry realized this serendipitous coincidence, he suggested to Draco that they celebrate all three events together. But Draco wouldn't hear of it. Not only did he like parties too much to combine three into one, but he absolutely refused to give up a day that celebrated him alone. Not that he didn't spend every day acting like he should be recognized, but on his birthday, he had an excuse.

Another half an hour found Harry in the bookstore. A book probably wasn't the best gift, but looking really couldn't hurt at this point. Draco enjoyed books and might not mind a new one. Harry had discovered a love of reading after Hogwarts. He was no Hermione, but he'd read a fair few now. His interest had started off with Quidditch books but eventually branched off into the arts and Muggle sciences, as well as studying the societies of other countries and continents. It was interesting to read about the lives of people, Muggles and magic folk alike, whose lives and histories were never affected, at least not directly, by Voldemort. Harry wandered the shelves, looking from section to section, book to book until he came upon one about Egypt. He'd always been fascinated by the country, with its pyramids and ancient cities and the sphinx. "Maybe Draco and I should visit it one day," Harry thought as he plucked the book off the shelf to give it a cursory perusal.

Harry was pulled from the book an hour later by the store clerk telling him the store was closing. "Bloody hell," he muttered as he left the shop. He'd gotten lost in the book and had wasted away the rest of his time. The stores were closed and he still hadn't gotten a gift for Draco. He was really in trouble at this point. Okay, he couldn't buy anything for Draco, but maybe he could make something. Harry Apparated to Ron and Hermione's house.

His friends had gotten married right after the war. Harry assumed it had shown them just how short life could be. Constantly fighting for it had a way of doing that. Either way, they'd wasted no time committing the rest of their days to each other then taking an extended honeymoon in America. They'd clearly wanted an ocean between them and any reminders of what they went through, though they'd written often enough. When they'd returned, Ron got himself into the Auror program and Hermione had become a school teacher. Seems she'd wanted to help bring up those who would make up the future, but Harry suspected she also wanted someone else to share her seemingly never-ending thirst for knowledge with. In either case, Harry could tell that she loved it.

This was why Harry was here now. Working with children had Hermione doing endless creative projects and Harry hoped the woman could give him some ideas. She opened the door to his knock before exclaiming loudly, "Harry!" and pulling him into a tight hug, excited to see him as always. Fighting in the war had not detached Harry from his friends, as sometimes traumatic events caused people to withdraw from other people and things that brought back bad memories of them. Quite the contrary, actually. Harry was much closer to them now. It seemed he, too, had learned to treasure things while he had them.

"What brings you here?" Hermione asked him. Harry blushed. He really didn't want to admit that he hadn't found a present for Draco and it was the night before his birthday. He was assured Hermione would scold him. She had never quite grown out of that phase. If anything, it had only gotten more refined by her constant interaction with young children and with her own toddler, Sophie. The child was an adorable combination of Hermione's bushy brown hair and Ron's bursting freckles, with other prominent splashes of her parents throughout her little body. She was Harry's favorite little person after Teddy. As if in response to Harry's thoughts, Sophie squealed in happiness from the direction of the kitchen.

"She's just eating dinner before I bathe her and put her down for the night," Hermione told him. "Come on, you can join us while you tell me what brought you over tonight." With that she turned and Harry followed her into the kitchen. It really was a quaint house. Not really big, but spacious enough and cozy enough for the little family. The spare bedroom had been specifically Harry's for his frequent visits until little Sophie came along. Now he took to a couch in the third bedroom/office when he stayed over. Another squeal of delight burst forth from the child as her mother and uncle entered the kitchen. Harry had long since taken to calling the toddler his niece. If Ron and Hermione weren't like siblings to him, he didn't know what they were. "Friend" was just too confined a word for all they had been to each other over the years. Their bond was like nothing short of familial. Harry marched in and scooped the child from her high chair, sticky hands and fingers and all, and dropped a kiss onto her mushed carrot-covered cheek. She giggled her pleasure before throwing her arms around him in a messy hug. She's clearly gotten her affectionate tendencies from her mother and paternal grandmother. Harry deposited the girl back into her seat as Hermione worked to clean up the mess she'd made of her meal.

"I've come because I haven't found a present for Draco's birthday tomorrow and I was hoping you could help me think of something to make him," Harry told her while her gaze was averted. But that made no matter; she stopped what she was doing to blink up at him.

"You haven't got him a gift yet?" she repeated.

Harry blushed again and shook his head. "I've been looking for weeks." He wanted her to know this. He had not forgotten Draco's birthday or been too lazy to buy him a present. He just hadn't found anything right for it. "But there's been nothing that I felt was good enough to give him. So I was hoping to make him something instead."

She blinked at him again, but nodded her head. "Alright Harry, I'll help you find something for Draco."

Now, both Ron and Hermione were iffy about Draco. They didn't consider him a friend; more, they merely tolerated him for Harry's sake. Hermione was more gracious about it, the good soul that she was. Ron was a bit more prideful and had a harder time forgetting the years of slights and insults against him, his family, his friend, and his now wife. But he did what Harry required of him and didn't curse Draco in seven years worth of revenge. Harry thought it rather big of Ron. But the two understood that Harry loved the stupid git now and so that was the end of it.

Harry helped Hermione finish feeding and then bathing Sophie, talking all the while of possible gift ideas. After they put the child to bed, they retreated to the office to try and sketch out some more options. Hermione had many interesting suggestions, but like all the things Harry had seen in the stores, none of them felt right for him to make for Draco. At a quarter to nine, when they'd still found no ideal gift, Hermione said, "At this rate, you'll just be wrapping yourself in a bow as a present. We're clearly not getting any further here."

Harry laughed, but then sighed in defeat. She was right. He clearly wasn't coming up with anything that fit. He stood before hugging Hermione and saying his goodbyes. Draco would be expecting him home for dinner soon. Harry wondered if Draco had cooked. He did so on whims. Sometimes he felt like it, sometimes he didn't. When he didn't, he made Harry do it or they went out. Harry was curious which it would be tonight.

"I'll see you later, Hermione. Thanks for all your help. Say hello to Ron for me, will you?"

"Sure, Harry, and sorry we couldn't think of anything for Draco."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure I'll come up with something in the end. I always do my best under extreme pressure, after all."

She laughed. "Yes, and with Malfoy's temperament and tendency for revenge, I'm sure that's more than enough to qualify as 'pressure,'"

Harry shivered. The girl had never spoken more true. She laughed harder upon seeing it. She kissed his cheek before seeing him to the door.

Harry Apparated home to be immediately enticed by the smells emitted from the kitchen. Seemed Draco felt like cooking tonight. Harry was surprised; it being the night before his birthday, Harry wouldn't have thought he'd be doing any work in early celebration of the event. Draco firmly separated real work from his leisurely activities. But Harry certainly wasn't going to complain about the whim. The smell of the food already had him partially salivating. But the food faded into insignificance when Harry saw Draco himself. He moved about the kitchen finishing the meal and didn't even seem to notice Harry's presence. He was too intent on what he was doing.

Though Draco moved with ease about the kitchen, no one could call him domestic (at least not without being thoroughly hexed). He still had a commanding and superior air about him; he was simply comfortable in his own home. Cooking was just one of his many talents and Draco cultivated them all at his will. When he seemed to have placed the last touch on his masterpiece of a meal, Draco finally looked up at Harry and smiled. By the lack of surprise in his expression, Harry assumed Draco actually had known he was there, but had only chosen to acknowledge him when he was ready. It was a Malfoy move Draco enjoyed employing.

"Hello, Love," he said, coming toward Harry and kissing him in greeting. "What took you so long?"

"I was visiting Hermione and Sophie for awhile," Harry told him. It was the truth. He hadn't asked for the why.

"Oh, that must have been splendid," Draco drawled. Harry noted the sarcasm. Like Ron and Hermione, Draco was no real fan of Harry's friends. He simply tolerated them to keep Harry happy and no more. It was really all Harry could ask out of any of them. And it was no less than Harry did for Draco's friends.

"In fact, it was," Harry replied sincerely, pointedly ignoring the sarcasm. It would annoy the blond more to not have his jibe answered in kind. "We had great fun playing with little Sophie." Draco's face softened. Despite all his talk, he really did like the cute little ball of energy, even with her unfortunate parentage. Harry smiled at him before going to inspect the food he had prepared. It was a mix of fancy French cuisine, portraying the expensive taste Draco favored. Intricately crafted seafood and something else drowning in butter. French rolls in a basket and a soufflé so light and fluffy it was sinful.

Harry turned around to smile into Draco's now smug expression. He never was shy about his talents and often expected acknowledgement and praise for them. Harry's smile was his only concession to his boyfriend's arrogance, although he did kiss him again. That was only because Harry wanted to, but Draco could take that however he liked. They ate together with the ease of long knowing a person and often being in their company. They talked and joked and threw insults as was simply their way. Their conversation topics were as widely varied as their many interests and spoke of things as remote as Egypt's weather this time of year and as close as the substitute Minister of Magic's latest inadequacies. Kingsley had gone on a few months' hiatus and his understudy was making quite a mess in the true Minister's absence. Harry was sure Kingsley would not be pleased when he returned from wherever he was. He apparently went off the map to escape the hectic demands of his working life.

They were talking companionably when Harry asked, "So what did you want to do for your birthday tomorrow? The day is yours, after all."

"I don't know yet, "Draco answered. "I might want to go to France for the day or spend it lazing away in bed with you. The possibilities really are endless. Just know you'll have a day full of something tomorrow."

"If you just want to spend the day in bed, we could get a jumpstart on that now," Harry responded with a suggestive wiggling of his eyebrows. Despite how ridiculous he was sure he looked, or perhaps because of it, Draco laughed at him.

"Oh no," he said. "I want to be fully coherent bringing in the day, and coherence often escapes me whenever we find ourselves in that bed." His smirk was reflected in his voice and in the gleam in his eyes.

This time Harry laughed. "Fine, but then we get to celebrate in bed. I have tastier ways than soufflés to recognize a special occasion." But they enjoyed their dessert and continued their talks until the clock struck 12, at which point Harry kissed Draco with a whispered, "Happy birthday, Love." The kisses were more drawn out after that and they found themselves wrapped up in each other until long after they went to sleep that night.

When they woke up, Draco did indeed keep Harry abed for part of the day. When they arose, they didn't do anything as extravagant as a day trip to France, but they did head into London and spent awhile there. They shopped and ate and saw a play and a ball game. They did a little of any- and everything. On another day Draco would gather with his friends and family and celebrate in true aristocratic Malfoy fashion, but for now he was just Draco spending a fun day with Harry, and Harry couldn't have been happier.

Well, he could have if he'd figured out what to get Draco. He'd still been thinking on it last night and this morning and as yet had come up with nothing. If it took real pressure to make him act, his loose as sand thoughts were about to be forged into glass. His quickly slipping time was about as pressing as pressure got. If he came up with nothing, he'd face more than Draco's wrath- he'd face his disappointment, and that, Harry could not stand. But nothing was what he got no matter how hard he thought about it. And it was with this sad realization that Harry and Draco arrived back home that night. Harry could tell that Draco had enjoyed their day, but could feel Harry's mounting distress as it wore on. He lifted an eyebrow at Harry in question for his behavior, but Harry flashed him a false smile before saying, "Let me go get your present," and hurrying off to their bedroom.

Inside it, Harry looked around frantically. This was it. He had to find something now or risk hurting Draco and he couldn't do that, especially on his birthday. He was growing frenzied when Hermione's words came back to him: _"At this rate, you'll just be wrapping yourself in a bow as a present." _That was it! In hindsight, or maybe in panicked relief, it was the perfect present. Harry stripped himself then transfigured two pieces of paper into brightly colored bows. One he attached to his neck like a collar, the other he put very carefully around his cock. Both were a brilliant red. It was so adorned that he finally returned to Draco, whose eyes grew a bit larger at the sight of him.

"I searched for weeks for the perfect gift for you, but never found it. No material thing I saw or thought about creating felt right. So in the end, I decided to give you me. With all of my flaws and quirks and kinks and smartassness and Gryffindor tendencies. But I'm also giving you all my love, too. I'm yours as long as you want me. And for the rest of the night, you may do with me as you please." Harry finished this speech with a wide smile. It was mostly things Draco already knew, but the occasion called for it to be said. And he was quite looking forward to what Draco would do with him.

The blond in question said nothing, just looked at him for a moment. Then he got the most maniacally insane gleam in his eyes, put on his most evil grin, plucked Harry up and threw him over his shoulder like a sack of flour, and marched them back to the bedroom while saying, "I can't wait to see what you get me for our anniversary."

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**A/N**: How many saw that coming? ;) Fun fact- while writing this, I kept trying to figure out what was so important about July 3rd. It finally occurred to me that it's my mother's birthday. I just wanted a date that fell halfway between the boys' birthdays. Go figure. Hope you enjoyed!


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